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Art Pope
James Arthur "Art" Pope (born May 5, 1956) is a North Carolina political figure, businessman, attorney and philanthropist. He is CEO and Board Chairman of Variety Wholesalers, Inc and President and Chairman of the John William Pope Foundation. Pope "through his family foundations has invested millions in a network of foundations and think tanks, and advocacy groups, both in North Carolina and nationally, that are designed to further conservative and free market ideas," according to the News and Observer.Art Pope subject of New Yorker profile | newsobserver.com projects He supports organizations such as Americans for Prosperity, the John Locke Foundation (which he co-founded), and the John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy. Early life and education Art Pope was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina to John W. and Joyce Wilkins Pope. He spent his early childhood in the town of Fuquay Varina, North Carolina. He moved with his family to the capital city of Raleigh, North Carolina in the early 1960s. Pope graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1978 with a B.A. with Honors in Political Science, and went on to earn his J.D. from the Duke University School of Law in 1981. Professional life Pope was engaged in a general law practice as an associate attorney with the firm of Skvarla, Boles, Wyrick and From in Raleigh, from 1982 through 1984. In 1984, he took a leave of absence from the firm to work as the Director of Organization for the North Carolina gubernatorial campaign of Jim Martin. Pope served as Special Counsel to Governor Jim Martin in 1985. In 1986, Pope joined the family business, the retail discount chain Variety Wholesalers. Art Pope has held several positions with Variety Wholesalers Inc., first as General Counsel, then Vice-President of Administration and Information Systems, Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice-President. Beginning in 2006, Pope began serving as President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board.Our Campaigns - Candidate - James Arthur "Art" Pope Public Service and Political involvement Appointments and elected positions Pope was appointed to serve on the North Carolina State Goals and Policy Board from 1985-1989. He also served on the North Carolina Capital Planning Commission. Pope was first elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 1988 to represent House District 61. He served four complete or partial terms in office, winning elections in 1988 and 1990, being appointed to fill a vacancy in 1999,New Yorker: State for Sale and winning another election in 2000. He was elected Republican Joint Caucus Leader during the 1991-1992 session. Pope was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the state's most prestigious award for public service, in 1992 at age 36. Pope vacated his House seat to run for the office of Lt. Governor in 1992. After winning a three-way Republican primary in May 1992, Pope lost the general election to Democrat Dennis Wicker. Pope co-founded the Libertarian Party of North Carolina as a college student in 1976.New Yorker: State for Sale He has been active with the Republican Party since the late 1970s, serving in a variety of roles ranging from precinct chairman to chairman of the North Carolina GOP State Convention. Pope has also served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention on three occasions. 527 Political and 501©(4) social welfare organizations In 2005, Pope was a founding member of the NC Coalition for Lobbying & Government Reform.http://www.nclobbyreform.org/about/members.php NC Coalition for Lobbying & Government Reform: Coalition Members He joined former Democratic state Senator Wib Gulley from Durham, NC, in calling for reform of the state’s lobbying laws. Through personal campaign donations, John William Pope Foundation donations to think tanks and corporate donations to independent expenditure efforts, Art Pope supported Republican candidates in the 2010 elections for the North Carolina General Assembly in 2010. Of the $30 million spent on North Carolina legislative races during the 2010, it was reported that Art Pope’s company donated approximately $425,000 as independent expenditures that favored Republicans. Overall, Democrats outspent Republicans $16 million to $14 million in the 2010 legislative races. Art Pope co-founded Real Jobs NC,Art Pope: a one-man Republican equalizer - Elections - NewsObserver.com a 527 organization that ran attack advertisements in the North Carolina 2010 general elections.Two outside groups aid N.C. Republican wins - Local - TheSunNews.comRepublicans take control in historic election - Basnight's 18-year reign as Senate leader ends; Cornelius Rep. Tillis may seek House speaker role. Charlotte Observer, The (NC) - Wednesday, November 3, 2010 Author: Lynn Bonner and Michael Biesecker Real Jobs NC is funded primarily by the Republican State Leadership Committee.Two outside groups aid N.C. Republican wins - Local - TheSunNews.com Civitas Action Inc, a 501(c)(4) non-profit organized by the John W. Pope Civitas Institute think tank, also sent out mailings against Democratic candidates in the North Carolina 2010 general elections, and is funded primarily by Variety Stores, which is owned by Art Pope. Philanthropy Art Pope is Chairman and President of the John William Pope Foundation, which he founded with his father, John W. Pope, in 1986. As of June 30, 2010, the Pope Foundation had nearly $136.8 million in assets. It has made over $89 million in grants since 1986, including over $9 million in grants made during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010. Over the last 25 years, half of the Pope Foundation’s grants have gone to support public policy, conservative organizations and think tanks in North Carolina, with the largest single recipient being the John Locke Foundation. Eighteen percent of the grants went to support higher education, including the Campbell University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Seventeen percent has supported national conservative public policy groups such, including The Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute. Ten percent of the Pope Foundation’s grants support community philanthropy, including the Habitat for Humanity in Wake County and Food Bank of Eastern & Central North Carolina. The Foundation’s support for the arts includes grants to the North Carolina Symphony, Carolina Ballet, North Carolina Theater and North Carolina Opera. In 2008, the John William Pope foundation provided more than 80% of the total budget for each of five leading conservative non-profits in North Carolina. The Pope foundation has donated more than $28.7 million to the think tanks, including $17 million to the John Locke Foundation, for which Art Pope was the founding chairman.Board Of Directors | The North Carolina Institute for Constitutional Law In 2005, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill asked the John William Pope Foundation for a $4.8 million grant to enhance its curriculum in Western civilization. In 2006, after wrangling between the university administration and some faculty and students who opposed the proposal,The Daily Tar Heel :: Pope funds prompt uproar the Pope Foundation declined to fund the proposal. Instead, the Pope Foundation donated $100,000 a year for a visiting scholars program and student fellowships for the study of western civilization, as well as $2 million for an endowment for salary enhancements for assistant football coaches. In 2011, the Pope Foundation gave the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill $3 Million for its Student-Athlete Academic Support Center. References External links *John William Pope Foundation *Review Online'': "The Corner: Another Failed Political Assassination" by Art Pope *[http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/10/10/111010fa_fact_mayer New Yorker: "State for Sale: Art Pope, Citizens United, and North Carolina Politics"] by Jane Mayer *National Review: "The Fisherman's Friend" by John J. Miller *Philanthropy Magazine, September 25, 2006: "Transforming Public Policy" *OurCampaigns.com profile Category:Living people Category:Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Category:North Carolina lawyers Category:North Carolina Republicans Category:1956 births